Why Agencies Should Forget Deliverables and Deal in Transformations

Andrew Dymski challenges agencies to rethink their fundamental positioning. The argument is direct: if your agency sells deliverables, you are trapped in a cycle that leads to commoditization, price pressure, and team burnout. The alternative is to sell transformations - the measurable change your clients experience as a result of working with you.

The Deliverables Trap

Most agencies define themselves by what they do: we write blog posts, we build websites, we run paid campaigns. This deliverable-focused positioning creates several problems.

First, it invites direct comparison with every other agency that offers the same services. When two agencies both offer “2 blog posts per month,” the prospect’s decision comes down to price. Second, it creates a production treadmill where the team is constantly grinding to hit monthly quotas. And third, it erodes the agency’s positioning because it places the agency’s ability to create things at the center of the conversation, rather than the client’s desired outcome.

Shifting to Transformations

Clients do not hire agencies because they want blog posts or landing pages. They hire agencies because they are not happy about where they are today. They want more leads, more revenue, more market share. The deliverables are a means to an end - and the end is the transformation.

When an agency positions around transformations, the sales conversation changes fundamentally. Instead of “here’s what we’ll do for you,” the conversation becomes “here’s where you are, here’s where you want to be, and here’s our proven path to get you there.” The outcome becomes the GPS destination, and the deliverables become the vehicle.

Narrow Your Focus

Andrew emphasizes that transformation-based positioning works best when it is specific. “We help businesses grow” is too broad. “We help B2B SaaS companies with $5M-$20M in revenue increase their pipeline by 40% in 12 months” is a transformation that a specific audience can relate to.

The more narrow your focus, the more powerful your positioning becomes. When you serve one client type with one costly problem, you develop deep expertise that generic agencies cannot match. Your case studies speak directly to the prospect’s situation. Your methodology is proven against their specific challenges. And your pricing reflects the value of the transformation rather than the cost of the deliverables.

Making the Shift

Andrew acknowledges that moving from deliverables to transformations requires a mindset change, not just a messaging change. It means restructuring how you scope projects, how you report results, and how you define success with clients. But the payoff is significant: better clients, higher margins, and a team that is energized by outcomes rather than worn down by output quotas.

The first step is simple: look at your best client results and articulate the transformation they experienced. That becomes the foundation for everything else.